Hostage forum: ‘Ending Iran op without using it to return the hostages would be grave diplomatic failure’

The Hostage and Missing Families Forum says that ending the military operation against Iran without taking the opportunity to secure the release of the hostages held in Gaza would be a “grave diplomatic failure.”

“The ceasefire agreement must expand to include Gaza; we call on the government to hold snap talks that will lead to the return of all the hostages and an end to the war. Those can bring about a ceasefire with Iran can also end the war in Gaza,” the forum says.

“After 12 days and nights in which the Israeli people could not sleep because of Iran, we can finally go back to not sleeping because of the hostages,” the forum says.

“Ending the operation in Iran without using it to return all the hostages would be a grave diplomatic failure,” the forum says.

Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 50 hostages, including 49 of the 251 abducted by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2023. They include the bodies of at least 28 confirmed dead by the IDF. Twenty are believed to be alive and there are grave concerns for the well-being of two others, Israeli officials have said. Hamas is also holding the body of an IDF soldier killed in Gaza in 2014.